Film Review: Beyond the Call, a Double-Helping of Humanitarian Adventure

Opening in theatrical release this week, Beyond the Call is an Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure, in which three middle-aged men, former soldiers, travel the world delivering life saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous places on Earth, where few would ever go — the front lines of war.

"People need to get out of this country and open their eyes — and most people don’t." … Getting out to the theatre and seeing Beyond the Call is the next best thing. (Click more for video…)

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Premiering in Landmark Theaters this week in Chicago and in San Francisco on December 1 for one week only, the 81 minute documentary introduces Ed Artis, founder of Knightsbridge International who is now in his 30th year as organizer of the hair-raising humanitarian missions.

The camera follows him and his friends (Jim Laws, a practicing cardiologist, and Walt Ratterman, an electrical engineer) into Afghanistan, the Philippines, Burma, and Thailand where their courage and conviction continually save local populations, especially children, from starving, freezing or death by disease. These are villages where death by landmine, bullet, or bomb is as frequent as death by hunger, disease, or the elements.

Spending five years making Beyond the Call, documentary filmmaker Adrian Belic is also the creator of the Academy Award nominated and Sundance Audience Award winning film Genghis Blues.